Together and Apart
by raneonthewyndoepain
Summary: A story about Dairine and Roshaun missing each other and learning how to be apart, and also about Kit and Nita learning how to be together. R&R or I will drone on for 10 chapters before the good stuff starts.
1. Beautiful

Nita found Dairine in the first place she looked, on the moon. She found her sister sitting cross legged in exactly the same spot where Roshaun had vanished less than a week ago, cradling Spot in her arms and typing very, very fast.

"Hey," Nita said softly.

Dairine didn't look up. "Hey," she responded, "did Dad send you up here to check up on me?"

"No. I came because I needed to talk to you."

"About what?" Dairine asked, her expression as blank as she could make it.

"Runt, you're not ok. Don't pretend that you are." Nita said gently.

Dairine did something that surprised Nita. She sighed, stopped typing, and put Spot down so that she could look Nita in the eye.

"Are you?" Dairine asked, her gaze fierce.

"No. I don't remember the last time I was ok."

"I do," Dairine said, "I was three. Mom took me outside to play in the leaf pile she had raked up, and I remember thinking, if only the world could always be like this. Bright colors and everything smelling like leaves. If life could always be beautiful."

Nita smiled. "Its not always that simple, but it is always beautiful, Dari. You of all people should know that."

Dairine's lip quivered, and she looked at her lap. "If only it didn't hurt so much."

"Have you ever thought about..." Nita stopped, unsure of how to go on. "...letting the pain run its course?"

Dairine eyes flashed. "I did, when Mom died," She said fiercely, "It nearly killed me." Her voice was low and dangerous, but not yet angry. "But he's not gone, Neets."

Nita's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know?"

"Timeheart." Dairine answered.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

Dairine shrugged. "You weren't close to him the way I was, Neets." She laughed at the expression on her sister's face. "No, not that way...will we ever get over that?"

"I don't think so," Nita said, grinning, and they both laughed.

"What are you going to do?" Nita asked after a moment of silence.

"Find him. I've got to, Neets. We have unfinished business."

Nita nodded slowly, then reached over and gave her sister a quick, tight squeeze. "I love you, runt," She said, surprising herself.

Dairine managed a smile. "Same."

With that, Nita stood, brushed herself off, and walked off across the lunar surface, leaving Dairine alone, but not quite.

The moon was Kit's favorite place to sit and think when he needed a time out from the breakneck pace of everyday life. It was usually a lonely pastime, so he was surprised to see Nita when he arrived at the spot where he had taken to arriving. Her jean-clad legs were folded underneath her, hands on her knees, dark hair falling into her face. She looked terribly sad and lonely sitting there all by herself, which made Kit feel like he'd been punched in the stomach, hard.

"Neets?" He called softly.

She looked up and tried to smile, but her eyes had a faraway look, and Kit knew that she must be thinking about her mother.

"Hey," Nita responded, "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah, I come up here to think sometimes...when life down there just overwhelms me."

Nita nodded. "I know the feeling. I came up to talk to Dairine, though. She thinks Roshaun is still alive.

"And what do you think?" Kit asked, holding his breath.

"I believe her."

Kit's face broke in a smile. "That's great! I thought...we had lost him for sure."

"I did, too."

They were both silent for a moment, but it was a nice silence.

Then Nita prepared herself to ask the question she had promised herself she would ask. To her surprise, Kit beat her to it.

"Do you ever wonder...if maybe its all just too much?"

"All the time." Nita said, her voice soft. "do you want to know what keeps me going?"

"You bet I do."

"OK. I think about all the people I've lost, and I feel like my heart is breaking, one piece at a time, and soon I won't have anything left to give. Then I think of the people I would lose if I gave up my wizardry, and I think, hey, I can't get the people that are already gone back. But maybe, just maybe, I can hold on to the ones I've got. Till Timeheart, anyway. And mostly...I couldn't stand to lose...you."

Kit found Nita's hand. It was cold as ice. He held it between both of his. Slowly he drew her closer to him, and she rested her head on his chest and let herself cry. 


	2. Nervous

Nita was lying on her bed, staring at the featureless ceiling. She was fighting a raging internal battle between her scaredy-cat self and her brave self. Her brave self was what had made her a wizard in the first place, but it was her scaredy-cat self that had saved her life on many occasions. This time, though, it wasn't a life or death situation, although it felt like one. This time it was about Kit.

Kit was her best friend and her partner in wizardry. He had seen her through way too many dangerous situations to count, most of the time managing to save her life in some capacity. She had returned the favor countless times as well. She couldn't imagine being as close to anyone as she was to Kit. She loved him, no question. But did she love him that way?

On some level, Nita realized, she felt guilty. It was irrational, but there it was. Could she have avoided that monstrous attraction she had felt for Ronan that summer? Could she have somehow prevented what had happened between them? And more importantly, was that was she should have done?

_Maybe, _she thought.

Why, though, if she really did love Kit, had she wanted to be with Ronan so badly? Was it because Kit had never seemed to feel the same way, and she was afraid to talk to him about, and tired of waiting for something that was never going to happen? Yes, that was it, Nita decided. In fact, she still felt that way. But what should she do about it?

_Forget it, _the scaredy-cat inside her said_, it's never going to happen, he doesn't love you, so just stop being so damn romantic!_

_No, _argued brave Nita_, he does love you, he's just afraid to show it, you should talk to him about it! At the very least it will get this weight off your chest._

There was one thing that Nita knew for sure, and that was that she couldn't stand to rot in her room any longer. It took a huge effort to get out of bed. She started to head downstairs, then stopped. She couldn't go to Kit's looking like this! She was in her pajamas, for the Power's sake! What was wrong with her?

After much deliberation, Nita changed into a pair of jeans and a red shirt that bore the legend _Coca-Cola! _in Japanese. She pulled a jacket on over that, brushed her hair and teeth, yelled to her dad that she would be at Kit's, and left.

Dairine stood in front of Tom and Carl's house. She was apprehensive, a condition in which she rarely found herself. She had to talk to Tom and Carl, though. She knew her dad wouldn't want her to leave home again so soon-she and Nita had only been home for a week. But she had to go, and she knew that only Tom or Carl could make her dad understand that.

Dairine, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and knocked. Loud barking ensued, and she heard Tom's voice saying, in the Speech, "_No, Annie, no! I told you already, regular dogs don't answer doors-go lay on the couch. Annie-"_ At this point there was a loud scuffling noise, followed by _"ANNIE! COUCH, NOW! Before I call the dog catcher!"_

A distinctly disheveled Tom answered the door. He grinned when he saw her standing there. "Dairine! How nice to see you! Come in, come in-sorry about the delay, Annie's been getting ideas lately, probably Ponch's fault-but anyway, how can I help you?"

"Well," Darine began, accepting a soda and sitting down on the couch beside Annie, "It's about Roshaun."  
Tom's expression grew more serious. "I thought it might be something like that."

"Yes, well," Dairine was having trouble talking, something that also didn't happen to her often, "I looked for him. In Timeheart. He's not there."

"I see," Tom said, watching her carefully.

"And, well, I was wondering if I could…I mean, if you would talk to my dad…"

Tom held up a hand to stop her. "Lemme get this straight. You want to go off on some interdimensional jaunt to find someone who could be absolutely anywhere in the relative haystack of the universe, and you want me to explain to your dad exactly why you went looking for a needle that until you came to me was presumed dead?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Dairine said weakly.

Tom offered her another grin. "I'm not gonna try and stop you, Dairine, but I'm not gonna talk to your dad about it either. It's about time you learned to fight the battles at home yourself."

Dairine's mouth dropped open. Tom patted her on the shoulder.

"Feel free to stay, finish your soda. Annie loves company."

Dairine got up to leave. As she left the house, she turned back to look at Annie, and she could have sworn the dog winked at her.


	3. Stuck

Kit was attempting to concentrate on Algebra, but things kept getting in the way. First it was Ponch, who admittedly had been keeping rather weird hours since he had discovered that he was the dog's version of the One. He still lived at Kit's house-or at least, the part of him that was Ponch still lived at Kit's house-but he very obviously had important business to take care of elsewhere. When he was at Kit's, he took pleasure in having long, and arduous discussions about philosophy, wizardry, and trigonometry with Kit, all of the topics that made Kit's brain bleed. (in the figurative sense, of course) Not that Kit was complaining. It was wonderful to have his dog back, more or less in one piece.

Then it was Nita. Ever since the day before, on the moon, he had been thinking about her. Not in a weird way, just remembering. His dreams had been haunted by the images of her on the moon, She was so pretty was she was angry, or afraid. He remembered the fierce light that burned in her eyes when she faced down the Lone Power or its minions. He remembered the sadness in those same eyes as she had looked down at the world, mourning silently. He wanted so badly to make her happy.

Kit looked back at his homework, and sighed. There was no way he could concentrate on this now. He was just putting his notebook back in his desk when Carmela burst into his room. He looked up at her with a bemused expression. "What is it now? And please don't go on and on about Rowan again, it's not my fault he's a wizard and you're not. Take it up with the Powers! And I doubt he'll care, anyway." 

Carmela just smiled a chesire cat grin at him and said, "That's actually not what I came to talk to you about. Thanks, though, for the vote of confidence! Nah, this is about Nita."

Kit struggled to look unconcerned. "What about her?" 

Carmela gave him a very pointed stare. "You know exactly what. You like her, she likes you, enough already with the secrecy! Good god!" 

Kit tried again. He felt as though he was trying to convince himself, not just Carmela. "Nita's my best friend, but I just don't like her that way."

"Bullshit."

"'Mela! I'm telling the truth here" 

Carmela gave him the look again. Kit could feel himself starting to weaken. After a long moment she spoke. "Honestly?" 

Kit looked down. Wistfully he thought of doing his homework in peace. 

Carmela folded her arms across her chest and asked, "Can you look me in the eyes and say 'I don't like Nita that way?" 

Kit was finding his shoes very interesting at the moment. 

"Didn't think so." Satisfied, his sister left him to do his homework in peace.

Dairine was stalling. She really didn't want to be the one to break the news to her dad about having to travel across multiple dimensions in search of a friend who also happened to be from another planet, but Tom had left her with no choice. She took a deep breath and headed downstairs. Her dad was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. "Hey, Dad." Her voice was bright with false cheeriness. 

He smiled at her. "Hey, honey. Want me to make some pancakes?" 

Her uneasy stomach turned over at the thought. "No thanks, Dad. I'm not really hungry." 

"Okay, well let me know if you change your mind…" He wanted to go back to his newspaper. This wasn't going to be easy. 

"I have to talk you about something," she blurted.

Her dad closed his eyes briefly, set down the paper, and put on his ready-to-hear-the-worst expression. "Does it involve leaving the planet for extended periods?" 

Darine suppressed a laugh at that one. "Well, not extended, no." 

Her father winced. "What...why...let me start over. Will you be back by Monday?" 

It was Darine's turn to wince. "Probably..." She said, squirming uncomfortably. Today was Saturday. That didn't give her much time. 

"Can you get in touch with your sister if you need her, where you're going?" 

"Yes," Darine replied, happy that there was a question that she could answer easily. 

Her dad looked at her, for a long, long moment. "Well, I guess I can't stop you. Be careful." 

Relief flooded through Dairine. "Thanks, Dad. I'll be back before you know it, I promise!" 

He caught her hand as she headed toward the door. "Dairine-" 

She really hoped he hadn't changed his mind. 

"-after this, can we please, please have a normal week? No saving the world or anything" 

Darine grinned. "Sure, Daddy." 

Five minutes later, she was on her way to the Crossings.


	4. Certain

Nita raised her fist to knock on Kit's front door, but it swung open before she could reach it. Carmela stood on the threshold, grinning rather disconcertedly.

"Nita," she cried, her smile widening further, "just the person I wanted to see! Or Kit did. Does. Whatever. He's upstairs."

Nita opened her mouth, closed it, and headed for Kit's room. When she got there, she hesitated. _Do I really want to do this? There's still time to back out, pretend I don't feel the way I do. Keep my feelings inside forever…_

Some part of Nita knew that she couldn't do that. What was more, she didn't want to. For better or worse, Kit was her partner, and she owed it to him to be honest. She owed it to herself, too. Taking a deep breath, she rapped on the door, just once.

"Come in," said Kit's muffled voice.

Nita pushed open the door to see Kit sitting at his desk, rifling through his wizard's manual. He looked up to see Nita, and his face cracked in a tired smile.

"Hey, Nita. Wasn't expecting you."

"I wasn't really expecting myself either. To come here, I mean." Nita could have kicked herself.

Kit looked confused, but offered her another grin. "What's on your mind?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." The words burst out of her before she could stop them.

Kit raised his eyebrows but waited for her to go on.

"The other day, on the moon-I wanted to say thank you. For being there for me. Like always."

Kit looked serious as he said, "I promised to be, Nita. I meant it. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I do!" The words came out a little more forcefully than she had intended. But how could she forget when they had promised to stay partners, that day at the Crossings? It seemed so long ago, now.

Kit studied her intently, then stood up and took both of her hands in his. Nita felt a shiver go down her spine. His eyes searched hers.

_Neets, _he said in mind speak, _I have to tell you something. _And then it was all there, suddenly. She felt his feelings as if they were her own. In a way, they were. There was fear struggling with courage, light fighting dark. She realized with joy that there was also love.

Kit leaned forward and placed the shadow of a kiss on Nita's lips. She kissed him back. Then it was all a rush of thoughts and feelings and senses, and Nita hoped it would go on forever, that she could just stay here is Kit's embrace until the end of time-

There was a knock on the door. Nita and Kit broke apart, but shared a smile. "Come in," they said together.

Carmela opened the door, a telephone in hand. "Nita, it's your sister."

Nita glanced at Kit, and then took the phone.

"Hello?"

Dairine's voice was tinny and the connection was laced with static. "Nita, I need your help."

Dairine was sitting at a booth in one of the Crossing's many restaurants (if you could call them that, they certainly weren't like any restaurant on Earth) scarfing down some alien food. She had already been to see Sker'ret. He had listened carefully to her predicament and then insisted that anything she needed would be on the house. She had thanked him with a big smile and a promise to visit again as soon as she could.

_So here I am, _Dairine considered her situation with a mixture of bemusement and frustration, _and I have no idea what I'm doing. _

It was hard to admit that, even to herself. Dairine was not accustomed to failure. _Just because you had a dream that Roshaun would be here doesn't mean he is! _She reprimanded herself sternly. _There was a time when you didn't believe in intuition, or instinct, or dreams. _

That had changed, though, through the course of her wizardry. She had gone from a person who relied on smarts, willpower, and pure stubbornness to achieve her goals, to a person who would risk her life on a whim, who had real friends who cared about her…or at least, she thought they had. Why hadn't Roshaun tried to contact her, if he was alive?

Dairine shook off that thought and got to work. She left the cafe and found a deserted place to work her spell. It was a fairly simple locator spell, and the only reason she hadn't tried it at home was because she had known there that she was too far away from Roshaun for it to work.

_I'm not even sure if it will work here…after all, how can I be sure that my dream wasn't just a dream…?_

In the wizardry business, there was no room for self-doubt, and Darine was doubting herself big-time. She tried to shake off her uncertainty and spoke directly to Spot.

"C'mon, Spot," Dairine said softly, "you know what to do…"

And he did. He fed her the spell diagram, she quickly checked the math, and began.

As soon as she began to speak, her uncertainty faded away. She lost herself in the ancient rhythm of the Speech, let the spell buoy her up and support her as she supported it. In tandem they invoked the laws of the universe, written and unwritten, and asked for their help to find Roshaun. The silence was deafening, the pressure crushing Dairine, making her feel lighter than air-

And then it was over. Darine knew without a doubt what she had to do.


	5. Found

Dairine's footsteps were confident now. She was sure of her destination. Her dream had guided her to the Crossings, and the locator spell had pinpointed Roshaun's exact location. Dairine turned a corner and began to jog along. It was just a bit further-

Dairine burst into a storage closet and suppressed a scream when she saw Roshaun slumped against a wall. She rushed to his side and quickly checked his pulse. It was there, faint but regular. Something was wrong, though. Why hadn't he awoken?

Dairine shook him by the shoulders, gently and then more insistently. She called his name softly. None of it had any effect.

_A coma, then, _she thought. But something nagged at her. In her dream, she had found Roshaun at the Crossings, she remembered that part clearly. It was what happened after that which was hazy. She remembered something about Roshaun's home planet, and a jungle that she was racing through frantically, as though looking for something…Dairine shook her head. The details of the dream were lost to her now.

She rocked back on her heels, thinking. Much as she hated to admit it, she didn't know what to do next. She could get Roshaun back to her home, sure, but what to do next? If they had to travel someplace else, the Crossings was surely a better place to start from.

Try as she might, Dairine couldn't make a decision. Sighing, she realized there was only one thing she could do.

"Spot?"

"Yes?"

"Give Nita a call."

Nita and Kit came as fast as they could, but it wasn't fast enough. By the time they arrived at the Crossings, Roshaun's condition seemed to have worsened, and nothing they did made a difference. Nita pulled Dairine aside to talk to her.

"This dream of yours…what exactly happened?" Nita asked.

Dairine slammed her fist against the wall in frustration. "That's just it, I can't remember!"

"Nothing?" Nita pressed.

"Well…" Dairine hesitated, "there was something about Roshaun's planet...a jungle. I was running through it…" Dairine's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "And you were there! Kit, too!"

Nita rested her head against the wall. When she spoke, the words came slowly. "I think I understand what's happening here…but we have to talk to Tom and Carl. C'mon, let's get him ready to go."

With Roshaun's condition growing steadily worse, there was no time to waste. After a hurried conference with Sker'ret, they were headed home.


	6. Determined

They materialized in the backyard. Dairine and Nita were wearing identical expressions of determination, and Kit noticed for the first time the resemblance between the sisters. Roshaun was lying on an invisible stretcher that hovered unaided several feet off the ground. His breathing was labored and he was shaking uncontrollably. Nothing they did seemed to make him more comfortable.

Dairine muttered a few words and the invisibility spell extended itself to cover Roshaun. She then asked Spot for a transport spell. He obliged. With a crack like a gunshot they appeared at Tom and Carl's back door, which Carl answered. When he saw who it was, his face split into a wide grin.

"How can I help you guys?" He asked.

Dairine said the final word of the cloaking spell and Roshaun became visible. The smile dropped off Carl's face and suddenly he was all business.

"Come inside."

They followed him inside the foyer and sat on the couch while Carl went to get Tom. The two men came down the stairs a moment later. Tom had his manual open and was paging through it while Carl rolled up his sleeves, looking grim. They both walked over to Roshaun. Tom put his hand on Roshaun's forehead as though checking his temperature. Carl quickly checked Roshaun's pulse and lifted his eyelids. After a minute or so of examining Roshaun, they nodded to each other as though they had just realized something.

Dairine couldn't take it any longer. She had just opened her mouth to ask what was wrong with him when Tom and Carl sat down and leaned towards Dairine, Nita, and Kit, ready to explain.

"By all rights, Roshaun should be dead, "Tom began. "The only reason he's still alive is because someone lent power to that spell. I can only assume it was you, Dairine."

Dairine bowed her head. Carl shook his.

"That was a dangerous move, Dairine. If that spell had worked, you could both be dead right now. Luckily for you, Roshaun saw that it wasn't going to work and pulled out at the last second."

Tom took over again. "The force of the spell had to go somewhere. Roshaun managed to deflect it into a long-range transit. I believe the reason he ended up at the Crossings was because he intended to warn Sker'ret and maybe ask for help. He lost consciousness in transit, however, and ended up in the room where you found him."

Dairine asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"So how do we wake him up?"

Tom and Carl looked at each other. They seemed to bracing themselves to say something.

"We can't," They said together.


	7. Impatient

It was amazing how with one simple sentence could bring your world crashing down around your shoulders. Dairine heard the others' voices as if from a great distance away. She buried her face in her hands. After all that she and Roshaun had been through together, could this really be the end? Could she really lose the best and only friend she'd ever had? It didn't seem fair that just as she's learned how to care about someone, he was taken away from her. But the Powers didn't care about fairness. Dairine felt a surge of sudden, unexpected anger. Then it was gone, as if it had come from somewhere else, not inside her. She shook her head to bring herself back to the present.

Carl was explaining Roshaun's condition more in depth. "When the spell backfired, Roshaun was transported to the Crossings, as Tom already mentioned. But-and this is the part that's difficult to explain-his mind was trapped. He retreated inside himself, and that's where he is now."

Dairine was lost, but Nita was nodding as though she understood. "This is sort of the same situation as with Darrell, right? Or our mom…" Nita added in a softer voice, glancing quickly at Dairine. "…remember?"

Dairine remembered, all right. She remembered how Nita had tried to save their mom while she sat on the sidelines, useless. She felt her throat tightening. She didn't trust herself to speak, so she nodded in response to Nita's question.

"It's not the exact same situation-every one is different-but the principles are the same, yes," Tom was saying, "I assume you have a theory about what to do?"

Dairine's heart lifted. She held her breath as she waited for Nita's answer. Something could be done!

"Well, we would have to enter Roshaun's consciousness, right? To find him."

Carl offered Nita a grim smile, as though he was proud of her for figuring it out but didn't have time to offer proper congratulations. "That's it, exactly. But there's something else. Roshaun's condition is very serious. When he arrived here, he was close to death. Tom and I have managed to halt his progress. But our spell will not hold forever."

Dairine went cold at the thought. She clenched her fists to stop herself leaping from her chair.

"There is no time to waste," said Tom gravely, his gaze resting on each of them in turn, "but heed this warning: where death is, so is the Lone Power. You may not recognize him, but he is there."

_So let me at him! _Dairine thought fiercely, feeling that unfamiliar anger surge up in her again. She couldn't wait to get hold of him and drop-kick his ass halfway to Timeheart!

Carl began telling them specifics, and Dairine tuned back in, burning all the while with impatience. They didn't have time to wait around!

Thirty minutes later, they had set up the spell diagram in Tom and Carl's backyard. They all looked at each other apprehensively. Ponch sat serenely at Kit's feet. Spot cowered in Dairine's arms. Nita felt a shiver of anticipation as they began to speak the ancient words.

They were up against the devil, and a life hung in the balance.


	8. Lost

Kit was lying on something soft. For a moment he fooled himself into thinking that he was at home in his bed. Any minute now Ponch would wake him up the same way he always did, by licking his face. Kit lay there, too tired to open his eyes and too awake to drift back into dreamland. He'd had the strangest dream…

Suddenly Kit sat bolt upright. This was no dream, and he wasn't at home in his bed. To his surprise, he found that he was in the middle of a rainforest unlike any on Earth. To start with, the plants weren't green. Instead, they were burnt orange, golden-yellow, and magenta. There was a thick tangle of brambles, bushes, flowering plants, and tall trees as far as the eye could see-which wasn't very far, as the foliage was so dense. A stream ran through the clearing where Kit was, filled with water so pure it sparkled like liquid diamonds. To his relief, Kit found that the little patch of sky above him was the familiar blue.

It was a beautiful place. Unfortunately, no one was there to enjoy it with him. Kit fought the fear rising in his chest as he realized that he was, after all, alone. He turned in a slow circle, looking around the clearing for some way out, some path he could follow. Try as he might, he couldn't remember how he had gotten here.

There was no path. However, when Kit examined a particular tree more closely, he noticed that a sort of ladder was carved into it. He couldn't stay here forever, and the only way to go was up. Realizing this, Kit shrugged and began to climb. As he ascended, details from the past few days began to come back to him. He remembered everything up until the point where he and Nita had kissed. He wasn't likely to forget that, ever. As to what had happened after that, he had no clue.

He was nearing the top of the tree and his arms were aching. At last he reached a platform made of what appeared to be wood. A sagging bridge led to the next tree. Kit looked at it skeptically, then tested its sturdiness with his foot. It held. Kit took a few steps forward and then made the mistake of looking down. Gulp. It was a long way to the forest floor. Still, he couldn't stop now.

After about fifteen minutes of walking across the tree-bridges, Kit came to another clearing. He couldn't see much of it because branches were blocking his way, but he figured that he might as well check it out. He started down the nearest tree-ladder.

Kit was about halfway down the ladder when he could finally see properly, and what he saw nearly made him lose his hold on the tree. Nita was lying crooked in the middle of the clearing, her hair covering her face. Kit shimmied down as fast as was humanly possible and ran to her.

He stopped short when he reached her side and fell to his knees. She was sleeping, and she looked so beautiful lying there that Kit could hardly breathe. He bent over her and brushed away her hair before leaning in to kiss her softly. Her eyes flew open, and when she saw who it was she smiled and pulled him closer.

Kit didn't resist. He had loved her secretly for so long. He remembered the hurt he had felt when she had kissed Ronan, how confused he had been. Even now, Kit wondered if Nita cared about him as much as he did about her. Nita heard his uncertainty loud and clear. She pulled away and looked into his chocolate brown eyes.

"_I love you," _She said in the Speech, the language in which it is impossible to lie.

Kit's heart slammed out a beat as he responded, "_I love you, too." _

He bent to kiss her once more, and soon they were a tangle of feelings and bodies. Their hearts bounced off one another as thoughts flowed like sparks of electricity through the conduit of their open mouths.

All too soon, Kit was brought back to the present when he stumbled upon a memory of Nita's that sparked a chain reaction in his own mind. Kit and Nita both realized the truth of the situation at the same time. They broke apart, startled from their waking dream.

The two locked eyes. They both wished they had time to spend with each other, but they had to get back to business.

"C'mon," Kit sighed, "Let's go find Dairine."

Dairine's head hurt. She opened her eyes only to shut them again immediately. She had glimpsed a canopy of bright colors glowing form the light of an orange-red sun. _Where the hell am I? _She cracked open one eye and then the other, determined to find out.

As she surveyed her surroundings, she wondered how she had gotten here-wherever here was. She took mental snapshots of the plant life and compared them to her memories, trying to find a similarity. Where had she seen those flowers before?

Suddenly it all came flooding back to her. She recognized the plant life because she had seen it before, in the castle garden on Welkah, Roshaun's home planet. She was viewing Welkah through Roshaun's eyes, because she had entered Roshaun's consciousness. She wasn't supposed to be alone, however. Where were the others?

To her great relief, Dairine found Spot lying next to her. She tapped on his lid gingerly and slumped with relief as he whirred to life. Her relief quickly turned to annoyance, however. Obviously there was a bit of a problem.

Dairine was full of questions. She shot them at Spot rapid fire without stopping for breath. "What happened? Did something go wrong with the spell. Well, duh. But what went wrong? Where are Nita and Kit and Ponch?"

It was strange how a closed computer case could look tired, but Spot managed it.

"Interference," He replied in his scratchy voice, and his disk drives whirred to a halt.


	9. Surprise

"Spot!" Dairine cried, scrambling toward him. She picked him up and flipped open his lid, pressing the power button. She held her breath. Nothing happened. She pressed it again and again until at last the computer beeped and the screen flashed, then righted itself. Dairine's heartbeat slowed to a normal rate. It was all right, then, he'd just had a momentary power outage…

Part of her didn't believe it, though. "Spot," She whispered, "are you ok?"

"Syntax error," stated the computer calmly, "rephrase for precision."

Dairine's heart sank horribly. Spot hadn't sounded like that since the early days of her wizardry. She quickly referenced the Help facility-or tried to. There was nothing there except ordinary docs, like instructions on what to do if your computer suddenly froze, and how to work various programs.

Dairine closed the lid and set the computer beside her. She bit her lip and pressed her palms against her eyes, but it was no use. The tears leaked out anyway. She hugged her knees, shoulders shaking, and cried harder that she had in a long time.

Lots of people would think she was stupid, crying over a computer. But Spot wasn't just a computer, and she wasn't just crying for him. She was crying for all the horrible things that had happened. She wept for Spot and her mother and Roshaun and all the people she still stood to lose.

At last her tears dried up, and she stood, picking up the computer, which was now useless unless she wanted to play Solitaire. She felt a pang as she remembered that Spot wouldn't be able to help her with her wizardries anymore. Then she shook off the feeling. Spot and her mother were gone, but Roshaun was still alive, and she was determined to do everything she could to help him.

Within five minutes Dairine had located the tree-ladder. She stored Spot-she still thought of him as Spot-in her otherspace pocket and began to climb.

Nita's mind was in turmoil. She walked behind Kit on the tree-bridges, scanning the ground below for Dairine with half her mind. The other half was focused on trying to figure out what had gone wrong with the spell. No matter how many times she went over it in her mind, she didn't understand what had gone wrong. Maybe Dairine would have the answers when they found her. Nita tried to focus on the search for her sister.

After a while she lost track of how many tree-bridges they had crossed. They had been walking for an hour or two and the sun was sinking lower in the sky. Nita shivered at the thought of spending the night in this jungle.

Kit and Nita stopped to rest at one of the tree-platforms. Nita was growing discouraged. Where was Dairine?

No sooner had the thought entered her mind than Dairine appeared. Nita cried out and rushed to hug her sister. To her surprise, Dairine hugged her back. Nita pulled away to survey Dairine. She looked all right except for a little redness around her eyes.

"Where's Spot?" Nita asked.

Dairine opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it shut and just shook her head. Nita saw the tears welling up in her sister's eyes and decided not to pursue the subject.

"Have you seen Ponch? " Kit questioned eagerly.

Dairine just shook her head again. Kit looked worried.

"I wonder where he is-" He began, before being cut off by loud barking from below.

Ponch was waiting for them at the bottom of the clearing. Standing beside him, looking to be in perfect health, was Roshaun.


	10. Interference

Dairine's knees went weak. She grasped the railing of the platform with trembling hands. Ponch had found him. It was going to be all right. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she shouldn't think like that way, that this ordeal was far from over. But it was hard to stop.

Nita laid a reassuring hand on Dairine's shoulder and called out a hello to Roshaun and Ponch. After seeing who it was, Ponch barked happily and Roshaun's face split into a smile. Nita was struck by his smile, because it was neither sardonic nor mocking, but genuine. He was truly glad to see them.

Kit had already started to climb down the tree. Nita and Dairine followed. When they reached the bottom, Dairine did something completely uncharacteristic. She ran over to Roshaun and hugged him. Roshaun looked stiff at first, then slowly put his arms around her and held her tightly.

It was a bittersweet moment, for all of them. Kit was happy to see Roshaun again, but he was also confused. It couldn't be this simple. Surely the Lone Power wouldn't allow them to just take Roshaun with them without a fight. It didn't make sense. Shouldn't they have run into the Lone Power before now? Kit wanted to be happy, but his every instinct was screaming at him that this was a trap.

When the truth hit Kit, it was staggering. He almost lost his balance. How could he have been so blind? Especially when he had seen this happen before! Kit forced himself to calm down and think. Maybe he was wrong. _Please let me be wrong! _He prayed.

Ponch and Nita had both noticed Kit's distress. _What's wrong, boss? _Ponch asked. Nita looked concerned. _What is it? _She inquired silently.

_I'm…I'm not sure, _Kit replied shakily, to both of them, _it's just a feeling…well, more than that. I think I know why we haven't had any problems from the Lone Power so far, but I'd like Ponch to check my theory before we act. Ponch? _

_Yes, boss? _

_Could you help me out here?_

Ponch lifted his nose and sniffed. He shook his head violently and the corners of his lips turned up to partially expose his teeth. _He's here, _Ponch confirmed.

Kit closed his eyes briefly. That was the answer he'd been afraid of.

_What's happening? _Nita asked more insistently.

Kit told her. When he finished, her eyes were as wide as saucers. _What are we going to do?_

"Nothing," Dairine said, "You're not going to do anything." She smiled a cruel smile and continued, "I made sure of that."

Roshaun was looking at her like she was crazy. "What are you talking about?"

Dairine laughed, but it wasn't her laugh. It had a wicked sort of delight in it that hadn't been there before. "Ah, Roshaun," she said, shaking her head, "poor, misguided Roshaun." She opened her palm. In it was the sunstone, but it was not the entirely the golden-yellow it had been when last seen. Instead, it was half dark, and hurt to look at.

Roshaun stepped back as though she had burned him. Maybe she had. His mouth hung open. Nita was just as flabbergasted. Kit decided to take charge. Ponch was standing and had his eyes trained on Dairine, growling softly.

"Fairest and fallen," Kit said, "greeting and defiance."


	11. Sacrifice

Nita had never seen Roshaun look confused before. He always seemed to be in complete control of whatever situation he found himself in. At this very moment, however, he looked as confused as Nita felt, which was plenty. Her head was swimming. She was having trouble grasping what was happening. What was happening?

Kit was having no such trouble. He knew exactly what was going on and he didn't like it one bit. He looked at his dumbfounded companions and grimly registered that unless he could get them to snap out of it, he and Ponch were pretty much on their own here. And they needed all the help they could get.

Dairine had stopped laughing and was now watching Kit with a sort of dry interest, one thin eyebrow raised. She was tossing the sunstone into the air over and over. Each time it touched her palm it sizzled with dark power. Kit dimly realized that her hold over them was dependent on the sunstone, but he filed that fact away for later. For now, all of his attention was on getting Nita to focus.

Gently he took her by the shoulders and said softly, "You ok, Neets?" She started to nod, then shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and just shrugged her shoulders. Clearly, she was not ok.

Kit sighed and shut his eyes. He tentatively reached out with his mind until he could hear Nita's disjointed thoughts. She was near the edge of panic, close but not there quite yet. It was his job to make sure she didn't get there at all.

_Neets? _He asked again, silently this time.

_Yeah?_

Kit could have collapsed with relief. It was Nita's voice, shaky but definitely hers. She was freaked, but Dairine (or rather, the Lone Power acting through Dairine) hadn't managed to penetrate her defenses yet. Kit had to choose his words carefully or risk sending her over the edge.

_It's possible, _Kit told her, _to save Dairine and Roshaun and get the hell out of here, but I can't do it alone. I need you. Can you pull yourself together and help me-_at this point Ponch politely knocked on the door on their mind conversation, asking to be included-_alright, us? Can you do that for me, Nita? _

Nita grinned. Kit felt the grin rather than saw it, but it still warmed him all the way down to his toes. Nita was back and ready to rumble. Kit felt her clenching her fists, reining in her power till the last possible second.

_Let me at him! _She said. _No one messes with my little sister and gets away with it!_

Ponch barked in agreement. Kit smiled and opened his eyes. He let go of Nita's shoulders and took hold of her hand. He let his other hand rest on Ponch's head. They were ready to do battle.

Darine was watching them with bemusement. When she saw them join together, she clapped her hands like a small child who had gotten just what she wanted for Christmas. Roshaun had begun to back away from her slowly and now stood with Kit, Nita, and Ponch. Dairine began to speak.

"Well, well, well. You've managed to bring Little Miss Juanita out of her funk, I see. Nice job, Christopher. I have to admit, I thought she'd gone off the deep end…seeing your younger sister outsmart you again and again will do that do a girl, won't it, _Neets?" _

Nita's grip on Kit's hand tightened slightly, but otherwise she made no sign that she had heard Dairine. Kit squeezed her hand in return.

Dairine wasn't finished yet, though. She took the sunstone out of her pocket and started tossing it again. It was almost completely dark now, with only a hint of golden-yellow still left at the tip. "It's quite touching, I have to admit. Kit and Nita together after so long. I never thought it would happen…you're not really very brave, Nita. Oh, you put up a good front, I'll give you that. But when it comes down to it, someone else always saves you in the end. Let's see…there was that little white hole, what did you call him? Oh yes, Fred. And the shark, Ed…not sure what he saw in you, other than lunch. Ronan almost died for you, he's quite lucky to have survived, actually. Although if he keeps hanging out with you much longer he'll have to sacrifice himself anyway…its too bad since you don't even like him anymore. And let's not forget our poor, dear mother…"

Nita was trembling with rage. Kit tried to calm her down. "Don't let her get to you," he whispered in Nita's ear, "she's just playing games, none of that's true." Kit had the sneaking suspicion that she wasn't listening to a word he was saying. All of her attention was focused on Dairine, and her thoughts were buzzing like a swarm of angry bees. Dairine was still talking.

"I guess Kit will have to go first, though it's a shame…we could have worked well together, Kit. But I wouldn't want to miss seeing the look on your face when he dies, Nita…once you realize that it was all your fault."

This was too much for Nita to handle. Kit saw it coming and tried to stop it, but it was too late. "No!" He yelled as Nita sent a lighting bolt screaming its way toward Dairine, who deflected it with the sunstone. The light came roaring back toward Nita. Time slowed down for Kit. Nita was going to die, and he was powerless to help…

At the last second, Roshaun leaped in front of Nita, intercepting the lightning bolt. It struck him square in the chest and he fell to the ground, clearly dead. A scream tore from Nita's lips as she realized what had happened. Kit had to hold her back from running at Dairine, who was laughing so hard that tears rolled down her cheeks.

Ponch ran over to Roshuan and sniffed him. Sadly he looked up at Kit, who knew instantly that there was nothing they could do.

Darine wiped away the tears that had dried on her cheeks and looked Kit in the eye with an expression that said all too clearly, _you're next._ Slowly she advanced on Kit and Nita. Kit closed his eyes and held Nita tightly, saying the last word of the shield spell that he doubted would protect them. Of all the ways to die, this wasn't the worst.

He waited for the deadly lightning bolt to come whistling toward them. He wondered why Dairine hadn't killed them yet. Probably she enjoyed watching them suffer. Or maybe…

Nita nudged him. "Kit," she breathed, "Kit, look!"

He did, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

Roshaun was not dead. Instead, he was slowly raising himself up, wearing a crooked smile and staring down at a flabbergasted Dairine. "You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?"

Dairine looked about as comfortable as a fish out of water. "But-how-?"

Roshaun just smiled again. "I think you have something that belongs to me." Slowly, Dairine's tight grip on the sunstone loosened. It drifted across the space between them into Roshaun's hand. He looked at it with interest for a moment and then, with deliberation, stamped on it.

The sunstone shattered and Dairine crumpled to the ground.


	12. Dream

Nita heard the dull _thwack_ of her sister's body hit the ground, and she felt as if someone had clobbered her heart with a hammer. Battered and beaten, she let loose a scream that would wake the dead and rushed to Dairine's side. Nita fell to her knees in the soft earth, sobbing uncontrollably. Through her tears she reached for Dairine's wrist and checked for a pulse. There wasn't one.

Stunned, Nita fell backwards onto her heels. "No," She moaned softly, "no, no, no!" _I refuse to accept this, _Nita thought._ Not now. Not to Dairine. She's too young and too smart and she's my sister. I won't just stand back and let her die. _Nita then did the only thing she could think of to do, not caring that she was risking her life by doing so. She uttered the final word of the spell that would lend all of her power to Dairine, and watched with fascination as the bright colors around her faded to gray. The last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness was Kit's stricken face looking down at her…

_Nita opened her eyes to a world where everything shone with unwavering radiance and the light itself was happy. She stood on vibrant khaki-colored sand that was imbued with the subtlest of gold hues. It warmed her heart as well as her cold, bare feet. Nita ran to where the water met the land and watched the silver-crested breakers roll in from the horizon. She shook her hair out of her face and smiled absently. She felt completely at peace, as though she could stay here forever. _

_A voice startled her out of her trance. Nita closed her eyes because she knew now that this couldn't be real. She hadn't heard that voice for a long time. _

_"Nita, honey?" The voice asked, more insistently this time. Nita sighed and opened her eyes to see her mother standing there. Nita felt the familiar lump rise in her throat as she struggled to speak. _

_"Hey, Mom," She responded. _

_Nita's mother gave her a look so tender it made her heart break all over again. She tucked a strand of flyaway hair behind Nita's ear and said, "You can't stay here, baby."_

_This was sheer torture. "Why?" Nita cried, "Why can't I just stay here with you?" Nita's eyes were filling up with tears. The beautiful day seemed to be mocking her._

_Nita's mother was shaking her head. "You know why, Nita." _

_And she did. It was a cruel twist of fate that she finally understood her mother's choice so long after it had been made. Because her mother's life wasn't over, not truly. It was just beginning. _

_When Nita looked up, she saw that the bright world around her had begun to fade. Nita extended her hand to her mother, and they grasped hands for a moment. _

_"I love you," Nita's mom said._

_"Love you too, mom!" Nita called to her, as she was fading fast. Something was pulling her back to reality…_

It was Kit. He was shaking her gently by the shoulders. Nita tried to open her mouth, to speak, but found that she was too exhausted to manage words. Instead she just lifted her hand to touch his cheek. The relief in his eyes was unbearable.

"Don't you ever, ever do that to me again." Kit growled. He let go of Nita and backed away, averting his eyes as though he couldn't bear to look at her anymore. That hurt Nita more than a stab wound to the chest.

"Kit…" She rasped, but it was too late. He had already turned away.

To her immense relief, Nita saw that Dairine was conscious and talking animatedly with Roshaun. Nita dragged her stiff body off the ground and hurried over to where they were standing.

"Dairine!" She cried. "Are you all right?"

Dairine looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, I am," She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "thanks to you."

Nita grinned. "Yeah, well you can pay me back later," She joked, punching her sister in the arm. Then, when she saw how grim their faces looked, the grin slid off her face. "What's happening?"

Dairine sighed and massaged her temples. Roshaun looked up at the sky and then directly at Nita. "What's happening," He said slowly, "is that we're stuck here indefinitely."


	13. Shattered

Nita stared. She hadn't expected this. How could she have anticipated that they would find Roshaun and best the Lone Power once again, only to find that they were incapable of something as simple as departure?

_But nothing's ever simple in wizardry, _she chided herself, _stupid of you to forget that. You got carried away, you acted like an idiot. And now look where it's gotten you…_

She cast a forlorn glance across the clearing at Kit, who was sitting with his back against a tree, talking to Ponch and determinedly avoiding her gaze. Part of her, the scaredy-cat part, said there would be time to deal with Kit's feelings later, that there was no time for subtlety. Her instincts were telling her otherwise. If they were going to get out of this, they needed Kit's help.

When she reached Kit's side, she hesitated, unsure of how to begin. Kit, though, took matters out of her hands.

"Right," He said brusquely, "Well, Ponch thinks he can get us home. The only problem is…"

"What?" Nita asked. Why wouldn't he just look at her?

"Well, Roshaun. I mean, isn't he supposed to stay here? This is his mind, after all."

Nita thought about it. "Well, we're here, aren't we?

Kit looked as though he was trying hard not to roll his eyes. "What's your point?"

"My point is…we aren't really here. I mean, _we _are, but our bodies aren't. We've left them behind, haven't we? So we should bring Roshaun back to his."

Kit looked mildly impressed despite himself. Then he frowned. "But what if…by bringing Roshaun back…we're actually taking him away from his body?"

"We aren't," said Nita firmly. "I mean, think about it. Right now, Roshaun's body and mind are in two separate places. Same case with us. So now that we've found Roshaun, it's as simple as going from point A to point B."

"Well, it would be," Dairine startled Nita by walking up from behind her, "if we knew where we were."

"I thought we'd established that," Nita responded, beginning to feel just a little impatient, "Roshaun's mind!"

"That would all be fine," Roshaun interjected as he joined them, "if we had any idea as to the coordinates of my mind. Since we don't, it's impossible to construct a spell around them. It's like trying to use an equation to calculate something when you don't know what x equals."

Nita bit her lip. "So how do we find out what x equals?"

"We already know," Kit interrupted, "don't we, Ponch?"

_I know where we are, _Ponch affirmed.

"Can you take us home, then?" Dairine asked.

_Of course, _Ponch replied, sounding just a little offended. Then he started thumping his tail. _If we go now we can be home in time for dinner!_

Nita and Kit laughed. For a second it was as though nothing had happened. Then Kit caught Nita's eye and his face changed. He stopped laughing abruptly and got back to business.

"Right. So is everyone okay with that plan?"

They all nodded their consent and Kit reached into his otherspace claudication to retrieve the wizardly "leash" he used when Ponch wanted to go on a jaunt through a newly created universe or follow a scent. He slipped the larger of the two softly glowing loops around Ponch's throat and the other around his own wrist. They all held hands (Nita noticed that Kit hurriedly grabbed Dairine's instead of her own) and in the space of a breath they were gone.

The five of them were instantly engulfed by blackness. They ran across the flat black plain of nothingness with only the light of Ponch's leash to show them the way. He sprinted ahead of them all, his nose pressed low to the darkness, his ears perked and legs pumping. They strained to keep up.

Suddenly they were in the middle of a desert under a white hot sun. Then there was a tropical forest and an undersea landscape. There were worlds too strange to describe, all interspersed with the endless darkness. They ran and they ran until Nita's legs were burning, and she felt as though she should be out of breath, but her lungs had been frozen. It seemed like they had been running for an eternity…

And suddenly she was falling. She closed her eyes in terror and then _wham! _She slammed into the ground so hard that the little air that was left in her lungs whooshed out of them so hard it hurt. She opened her eyes to find herself staring up at the blue sky of Earth, and boy, she had never been so happy to be home.

For a second she just lay there. Then it occurred to her that she had to see if the others were all right. She sat up and looked around. Roshaun was standing and brushing himself off. Dairine was still lying on the ground, groaning. Kit was stowing Ponch's leash in his claudication and Ponch was overseeing it all calmly.

The door to Tom and Carl's house opened, and Tom emerged. He grinned when he saw that they were all okay.

"Hey guys!" He called, "Glad to see everyone made it back in one piece."

They all murmured assent, but Nita saw the closed look in Dairine's eyes. Kit spared Nita one look before he turned to walk away, and it was so full of sadness that it nearly killed her to see it. Nita knew then that what they might have had had been fractured into a million tiny pieces, and try as she might she couldn't see a way to put them back together again.


	14. Aftermath

When Dairine awoke, it was just before dawn. She wondered what had startled her out of her deep and dreamless sleep, but decided not to let it bother her. She drew her blankets tighter around her and punched her pillow into the right shape. She didn't notice the folded bit of parchment that fluttered onto her bedroom floor, nor did she give the slightly open window a second glance. She just let the sound of the gentle spring rain lull her back to sleep.

Directly below her window stood a cloaked figure. His face was tilted upward just enough to let a strand of blond hair escape from beneath the shadow of his hood. He tucked it behind his ear and sighed. She would never be his, no matter how much he loved her, so it was best to put her out of his mind.

He trudged to the middle of the backyard, to the cleared area that was used for wizardly arrivals and departures. He looked up at the deep gray sky, and smiled because he knew that hiding somewhere behind those clouds was the star he had helped to repair. He cast one last glance full of longing and unspoken words at Dairine's window. And then he was gone.

Nita's alarm went off, the screeching sound muffled but still loud enough to jar her out of a peaceful sleep. She fumbled for it on her nightstand, but her hand found only empty air. Nita then remembered that she had forgotten to unpack it after her trip. She groaned and covered her ears with her pillow, but it was no use, she could still hear it.

Making a noise somewhere between a whine and a sigh, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Stumbling over to her closet, she pulled out her suitcase and struggled with the latch. It fell open, spilling her clothes out onto the floor and banging her knee with its hard metal edge. Eyes watering in pain, she at last located the alarm clock and jabbed the off button.

Silence. And regret.

Nita's day did not improve. Instead, it grew steadily worse. By lunch she was ready to scream. People whispered as she passed them in the hallways, wondering where she has been for the past two weeks, but none of them dared ask. She almost wished they would. In fact, she even had a response prepared.

_Well, you see, I had to save the universe. But then the devil tried to kill me, and ended up possessing my sister. Oh, and we also rescued our alien friend from an alternate dimension with the help of Kit's magic dog. And now Kit's not talking to me because I saved my sister's life. So, what's the homework?_

Then they would really think she was crazy.

Kit was not faring much better. He nearly fell asleep during roll call, and it was only his growling stomach that stopped him from bolting out of the cafeteria at lunch. His mood was not helped by the fact that he had nearly two weeks of homework to make up. When he spotted Nita in the hallway, he ducked into an empty classroom to avoid talking to her. He wasn't nearly as furious with her as he had been yesterday, but he still had no desire to rehash what had happened. He had no idea what this would do to their partnership, all he knew was that the thought of her made it feel as though someone had thrust a white hot poker into his heart.

Not thinking about her, however, proved to be just as hard as the alternative. After school, he took a walk, just to get his mind off things, and found himself in the clearing where they had first met. Sighing, and trying his best to push any thoughts of Nita to the back of his mind, he took out his school books and got to work.

That day when Dairine got home from school, she found Filif at the kitchen table, talking to her dad. She saw him extend a frond to her father, who shook it graciously. The scene was rather more solemn than Dairine was used to, and prompted her to ask what was happening.

"I have decided to return to my people," Filif said in that voice that sounded like wind whispering through branches. "I was thanking your father for being my host these past few weeks. Thank you, as well."

Dairine swallowed around a lump in her throat. She was very fond of Filif, and just because she had known that this was coming didn't make it any easier. "Anytime," She replied quietly. "I trust you'll be in touch?"

"Definetly," Filif responded eagerly, "Maybe you can come visit my world next!"

Dairine laughed and touched the frond he held out to her. "Dai'stiho, cousin."

"May you go well, also. And you too, Mr. Callahan."

Dairine's dad laughed and waved his hand. "Please, call me Harry."

When Filif had left, Dairine turned to her dad and asked, "Where's Roshaun?"

Her father's eyes widened in surprise. "He left, too, early this morning. Didn't he tell you?"

He hadn't told her. After all that they had been through together, he hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. Dairine choked back tears as she ran to her room, leaving her bewildered father at the bottom of the stairs.

She stormed into her room in a fit of anger, kicking the random possessions that were strewn on her floor out of the way. She started to complain to Spot, then remembered that he wasn't there. She collapsed on her bed, too worn out and angry to cry.

It was then that she noticed the crumpled piece of parchment on the floor. She picked it up curiously, noticing that her name was written on it in the Speech. She unfolded the note and read.

_Dairine, _

_I am sorry to have left you this way, without so much as an explanation, but I have never been very good at goodbyes and thought it would be easier for both of us this way. But before I go I must confess something that has been troubling me deeply._

_I have lied to both you and my father in the hopes that by uttering a falsehood I could make it less true. I was foolish to do so, for you and I both know that as a wizard, lying always has a price. I fear that the price I will pay this time is having the lie become a reality. Perhaps by telling the truth now I can undo the damage. _

_The truth is, Dairine, that I have been falling in love with you ever since the first day we met. I doubt very much that you return the feeling, but it is of no consequence now. As you once said, you have "zero interest in being anybody's queen", and I cannot be away from my people any longer. I am deeply sorry for any pain I may have caused you. Please know that you will always have a place in my heart, and if you are every in need of assistance, you may call on me. Also, if you would express my gratitude to everyone it would be deeply appreciated. Thank you once again, and may you go well._

_Roshaun _

The tears were flowing freely now, try as she might to stop them. She was having trouble thinking clearly. She pulled on her jacket, tucked Roshaun's note safely in her pocket, and headed for the moon.


	15. The End

Dairine stared down at the brilliant blue crescent of the earth and didn't see it. She was too wrapped up in her own indelible sadness to pay much attention to the quiet, peaceful sorrow of the world turning beneath her. Ever so slowly, though, the view quelled her raging mind, softening the edges of her hurt.

There was a soft pop from somewhere behind her. Dairine didn't turn to see who it was. She had sent for him, after all. He settled himself beside her, and they sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Then he had to speak and ruin everything.

"Dairine?"

She rubbed her eyes, which were heavy with exhaustion. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry," His voice sounded lost. "I thought…I don't know what I thought."

"Yeah, well, I've been doing some thinking too," Dairine responded, surprised at how strong her voice sounded, "And I don't see any reason why we can't be together."

They locked eyes, and Roshaun looked away first.

"I mean, we're a great team," Dairine continued, "And you've got to face facts. How happy would you be playing pawn to the people of Welkah for the rest of your life, rather than truly fulfilling your job as a wizard?"

"It is not an issue of happiness," Roshaun replied coldly, his eyes flashing. "You know nothing about my people, so I'll thank you not to insult their motivations…or mine."

Dairine flushed. "OK, that was out of line. But you have to admit I've got a point."

"What you said does bear relevance," Roshaun admitted reluctantly. "But I fear that it is a problem without a solution. They do not respect wizards, they are frightened of us. And if the balance shifts, I may well be the one who suffers."

Dairine bit her lip, thinking. "I don't know. Wouldn't it be better to trust them with the truth and their freedom than to live your life constantly looking over your shoulder, hoping you're safe from your own people? I'm sorry if I've offended you, not that it's hard to do, but that seems pretty twisted to me."

Roshaun looked away. For a moment Dairine thought she had gone too far. Then he turned back to her, and for the first time since she met him, he looked unsure. "I don't know what to do," He whispered.

Dairine smiled. "Don't worry," She reassured him, "I'll help."

He laughed, and the certainty was back. "Partners?" He asked.

"Partners," She agreed, and held out her hand for him to shake. He ignored it, kissing her right on the lips. After she got over her surprise, she kissed him back with all her heart.

It was raining, a cold gray downpour that echoed the heavy feeling inside Nita's chest. She trudged through the trees, touching one every now and then, all the while being careful to stay on the beaten path and not disturb the wet leaves. She found him at last, after ten minutes of walking, just where she had known he would be. Kit looked up, and they both froze as they saw each other, as though time had stopped especially for them.

He looked about as tired as she felt, with dark circles under his eyes and a haggard expression. He hadn't bothered with a spell to keep the rain off him or pulled up the hood of his windbreaker, so he was soaking wet, his hair sticking up in little tufts all over his head. He looked so forlorn and yet completely adorable that Nita had to stifle a giggle, remembering their situation.

Just as he had the very first time Nita had stumbled into this clearing, Kit waited calmly for an explanation. Nita opened her mouth to apologize, to take the blame for everything, and Kit suddenly felt that he didn't need to hear it. Whatever reckless things they had both done in the past were ancient history now.

"Kit-" Nita began.

"Don't."

She looked anguished. "No, please let me explain!"

"Nita-"

She was crying now, and Kit could never stand to watch her cry. He went to her and took her in his arms, making a soft shhh sound and putting his finger to her lips when she tried to speak. "It's alright," He comforted her, "it's alright…"

"No, it's not!" She said, tearing herself away from him. "I've messed everything up, it's all my fault and I'm so, so-"

He kissed her, effectively silencing whatever words she had been about to say.

-sorry." Nita finished breathlessly when at last they broke apart.

Kit grinned. "What for?" He asked, and kissed her again, the rain washing her tears away.

In a universe where nothing made sense, a realm of beauty and danger and powers moving seen and unseen through the myriad worlds, all Nita and Kit had was each other. And they weren't letting go.

THE END.

Thanks so much to everyone for reviewing. Don't stop now - if I get enough reviews, there might even be a sequel. Plus I'm dying to know what you think of this last chapter, and I always appreciate feedback. So click that review button! Dai'Stiho, cousins.


End file.
